Switch-operating mechanism



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

.0. W; YERBURY. I SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

Patented Feb. 22-, 1898.

. INVENTOH WW BY ATTORNEYS,

WITNESSES THE uoums wsrzns 00.. PHOTO-UTHO,WASHINGTON. u. c

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' O. W. YERBURY.

SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM. No. 599,580. Patented Feb. 22,1898.

IN VE N TOH A TTUHNE VS.

m; Mourns PETERS cm. wotouma, WASHINGTON. u c.

F I l l l WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. YERBURY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SWITCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,580, dated February 22, 1898. Application filed October 6, 1897. $erlal No. 654,246. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. YERBURY, of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New J ersey, have invented a new and Improved Switch-Operating Mechanism, of

which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to electrical mechanism for operating switches on electric railways; and the object is to provide a mechanism for this purpose which will be simple and comparatively inexpensive to place in a railway and which will be completely under control of a motorman.

I will describe a switch-operating mechanism embodying my invention and then point out the novel features in the appended claims. 7 Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 indicates a car and a means for carrying an electric current from the trolleywire to the switch mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan View of railway -tracks, showing the switch mechanism as applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a circuit-closing device carried by a car. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a circuit-closing device arranged between the tracks. Fig. 5 is a transverse section thereof. Fig. 6 is a plan view showingaswitch-tongue and electromagnets for operating the same; and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a switchtongue, showing an electromagnet on one side thereof.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, 1 1 designate the rails of what may be termed the north-bound track, and 2 2 designate the rails of what may be termed the southbound track. The rails of the two tracks are connected by switch-rails 3, and switchtongues 4 5 are mounted to swing horizontally with relation to the switch-rails. The switchtongues are each provided with a downwardlyextending portion 6, which serves as an armature. At one side of the switch-tongue 4 is an electromagnet 7 and at the opposite side of said switch tongue is an electromagnet 8.-

At one side of the switch-tongue 5 is an electromagnet 9, and at the other side thereof is an electromagnet 10.

It is designed that the switch-tongues shall be opened as a car approaches the same and closed to leave the tracks in a normal condition after the switches shall have been passed. I therefore employ circuit-closing devices arranged between the tracks rearward of the switches, and also similar circuit-closing devices between the other tracks forward of the switches. These circuit-closing devices are arranged in threes, the purpose of which will be apparent.

Arranged between the rails 1 1, rearward of the switches, are boxes 11, 12, and 13, and arranged between the rails 2 2 are similar boxes 14, 15, and 16. These boxes and the circuitclosing devices are all of similar construction and are plainly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Each box has shafts 17 extended through it, but insulated therefrom, and on each shaft is a series of circuit-closing disks 18, adapted to be moved into engagement with contact-finger 19, which are in partial connection with the casing.

The several disks 18 on a shaft 17 will be in electrical connection through the shaft, and the object in providing a series or number of these disks or fingers 19 is to make sure of the closing of the circuit. It is obvious, however, that a single disk and finger 19 in a box would make the device operative. Therefore I do not limit my invention to a number of said devices. Each disk 18 has an arm 20 pivotally connected to a rod 21, extended upward through openings 20 in partitions 22 and 23, arranged horizontally in the box, and these rods also extend through perforations in the cover 24 of the box. The perforations or openings through the partitions and cover will be provided with bushings of insulating material, as plainly indicated in Fig. 5. The upper portions of these boxes will extend somewhat above the roadbed, and to make the same practically water'- tight I provide the box at its upper end with an inwardly-extended flange 25, and this inwardly-extended flan ge,which,' by the way, extends entirely around the box, is provided on its surface with channels, in which ribs 26 on the under side of the cover 24 may engage. This cover 24 is also provided with a flange 27 to engage against the outer surface of the box 11 at its top. The cover may be fastened in position by any desired means.

The openings in the partitions 22 and 23 through which the rods 21 extend are surrounded by upwardlyextended bosses 23, and above these bosses the rods 21 are provided with deflector-shoulders 29. These deflector shoulders are inclined downwardly and outwardly on their upper surfaces and have a projection substantially equal to the diameter of the bosses 28. By this construction should water leak through the opening in the cover through which the rod 21 extends the said water by running down the rod 21 will be deflected by the shoulder 29 above the partition 23, and as the boss 28 on the partition 23 extends somewhat above the plane of the partition 23 it is obvious that the water will not run through the opening of said partition around the rod 21 and into the lower compartment until the water shall have reached a plane above the plane of the boss. Then such water running through will be deflected by the lower shoulder 29 on the rod 21 upon the partition 22. By this construction it is obvious that a considerable accumulation of water cannot take place, and therefore there will be no danger of rendering the device inoperative by ice.

Resting upon the top of the several rods 21 in a box is a metal plate 30, which of course will move upward and downward with the rods, and a suitable device-such, for instance, as a spring or springs-may be employed for holding the plate and rods normally upward. A wire 31, in electrical connection with the box 11, extends to one pole of the electromagnet 8, and from the other pole of this electromagnet 8 a wire 32 extends to a connection with a rail 3. From the box 12 a wire 33 extends to one pole of the electromagnet 7, and from the end of the other pole of this electromagnet '7 a wire 34 extends to a rail 2, and this Wire 33 continues to a connection with the box 14 forward of the two switches. From the box 13 a wire 35 extends and has connection with one pole of the electromagnet 9 and also a connection with the box 15. The other pole of the magnet 9 has a connection 36 with a rail 1. One pole of the electromagnet 10 has a connection 37 with a rail 3, and the other pole has a connection 38 with the box 10.

Carried by a car is a circuit-closer-operating device, here shown as a roller 39, having bearings in bars 40, (see Fig. 3,) depending from a cross-head 41, attached to the lower portion of the car. The bars 40 are movable vertically through holes in the cross-head 41, and to hold them yieldingly downward I employ springs 42, which surround the bars and bear at one end against the cross-head 41 and at the other end against collars on the bars.

The device just described has a wire connect-ion 43 with the main supply or trolley wire X of the car-line, and comprised in this wire 43 are switches 44. These switches will be arranged in any convenient location to be operated by a motorman. I have here shown switch-tongue 4 to an open position.

them as attached to the dashboard of the car, there being a switch at each end of the car. The several circuit-closing devices will be arranged sufficiently far apart to enable a motorman to close and open the switches 44 as occasion may require.

The operation is as follows: Assuming that a car is traveling on the north-bound track and the car should from some cause become disabled and the motorman desires to return to the car-shops on the south-bound track, the motorman upon approaching the box 11 will close the switch 44, and then as the roller 39 engages with the plate 30 of said box the disks 18 will be rotated to engage the fingers 19 and close the circuit, so that the current will flow through the wire 43, the box 11, the wire 31, the electromagnet 8, the wire 32, and thence back through the track-rail. This will energize the electromagnet 8, which will draw the Before the roller 39 reaches the box 12 it is obvious that the current must be out off by opening the switch 44. The car will then pass over the switch-rails 3, and the flange of a wheel will move the switch-tongue 5 to an open position as the car passes onto the track-rails 2.

, The car then proceeds to a position to engage the roller 39 with the box 15. The current will then energize the electromagnet 9, as before described, and cause it to move the switch-tongue 5 to closed position. As the roller engages with the box 14, the switch 44 being closed, a current will be sent through the electromagnet 7 and move the switchtongue 4 to its closed or normal position, and the car will then proceed on the rails 2 to its destination.

Should it be desired to move a car from the track-rails 2 to the track-rails 1, the electromagnet 10 will be energized through the medium of the projection or armature G and its mechanism, and thus open the switch-tongue 5, so that the car may pass over the switchrails, as before described. Then this switchtongue 5 will be returned to its normal position by the electromagnet'9 being energized by the contact of the roller 39 with the box 13, and the tongue 4 will be closed or moved to its normal position by the electromagnet 7.

In describing the operation I have referred particularly to a condition where it is desired to return a disabled car on the proper track; but it is to be understood that the mechanism described may be employed for switching from the main track to a branch tr'ack.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. An electric switch mechanism, comprising a switch, electromagnets for moving the switch in both directions, a plurality of circuit-closing devices forward and rearward of the switch, and means carried by a car for operating the circuit-closers, substantially as specified.

2. An electric switch mechanism, compris- IIO ing a switch carrying an armature, an electromagnet on each side of the armature, a plurality of circuit-closing devices forward and rearward of the switch and means carried by a car for operating said circuit-closing devices to close a circuit through the electromagnets from the trolley line-wire, substantially as described.

3. In an electrically-operated switch for railways, the combination with two main tracks and a switch-track leading from one main track to another, of switch-tongues for controlling the connection between the main tracks and the switch-tracks, an electromagnet on each side of each switch-tongue, for operating the same, three circuit-closers arranged in each main track, the several circuit-closers having connection with electromagnets, whereby the closing of one circuitcloser of one track will open the switch of said track, allowing the car to pass to the second main track and to operate a closer therein to close the switch of the first main track, and to operate another closer to close the switch of the second main track which has previously been opened by the car-wheel, substantially as specified.

4. '-In an electric switch mechanism, a cir-, cuit-closer comprising a box having a horizontal partition and a cover, acircuit-closing device mounted to rotate in said box below the lower partition, a contact-finger with which said device is designed to engage, a rod extended upward from said circuit-closing device, through the partition and cover, and a deflector on said rod above the opening in the partition through which said rod extends, substantially as specified.

5. Inan electric switch mechanism, a circuit-closer comprising a box having horizontal partitions and a cover, a shaft mounted to rotate in said box below the lower partition, aseries of circuit-closing devices mounted to rotate with said shaft, contact-fingers with which said devices are designed to engage, rods extended upward from said circuit-closin g devices through the partition and through the cover, and deflectors on said shafts above the openings in the partitions through which said rods extend, substantially as specified.

CHARLES W. YERBURY.

Witnesses:

FRANK YENEANCE, EDMUND P. FRITSCH. 

